Revered Philly Sound songwriter, composer and musician Vincent Montana, Jr sadly died last weekend at the age of 85. He had been suffering from major illness in the years leading up to his death but passed away peacefully on April 13 surrounded by friends and family.
Montana was instrumental in developing the Philapdelphia soul and disco sound throughout the Seventies, working closely with key production duo Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Montana’s vibraphone (vibes) work and classic string arrangements can be heard on many of the great Philadelphia International Records releases of the time, including those by Gamble & Huff’s supergroup MFSB.
Montana also founded and conducted the Salsoul Orchestra, a project that would bring him back into the limelight in the Nineties as house titans MAW remade classic Salsoul hit Runaway for their huge Nu Yorican Soul project. MAW’s peers, including DJ Meme and Mousse T, also sought out Montana’s expertise, whilst stellar hip-hoppers Jay-Z and LL Cool J sample excerpts of his music.
Tributes have been pouring in to Montana’s official Facebook page from all over the world, and Dimitri From Paris has posted an unreleased instrumental mix of 2006 Defected single Ron Hall & The Muthafunkaz feat. Marc Evans’ The Way You Love Me, featuring new Montana strings and vibes, on Soundcloud.
“When I first heard The Way U Love Me [sic] I immediately asked to remix it and a budget to be able to get Vince to score the strings and vibes in Philadelphia” Dimitri posts. “I was certain the song could be turned into a Philly Sound classic. Despite suffering with major illness at the time Vince enthusiastically accepted and made my dream come true. The T.S.O.P. version of The Way You Love Me is the remix I'm the most proud of. It features a cast of more than 30 people, each one of them putting a part of their soul in the recording.
"The mix you can hear on this [Soundcloud] page is an unreleased instrumental edit where the forefront is taken by the string orchestra and vibraphone solos.”
Vince, rest in peace....
